City Council adopts revised 2025–26 budget after contentious debate over fire, police and homelessness oversight

The Los Angeles City Council adopted a revised 2025–26 budget May 21 after a daylong session that restored some services and jobs but left major policy fights unresolved over fire department funding, police hiring and where the city will house homelessness oversight. The council approved the Budget and Finance Committee report and a set of budget motions and instructions that together change the mayor's original proposal.

Council members and department leaders repeatedly returned to the same tensions: preserve day-to-day services and public safety while confronting an unusually sharp fiscal shortfall. "This is the most serious budget crisis the city has seen in nearly 2 decades," Budget and Finance Committee Chairwoman Councilmember Yaroslavsky said, outlining the committee's attempt to restore core services while trimming new programs.

Why it matters: The package kept many basic services in place and reduced the number of planned layoffs, but it also cut or delayed proposed new programs and forced tradeoffs that sparked sharp disagreement on the dais. Council members from across the political spectrum said they feared either deeper service cuts in neighborhoods or insufficient investment in public safety.

What the council approved - The council adopted the Budget and Finance Committee recommendations as amended and passed a package of budget motions and technical adjustments. Staff were instructed to prepare the final budget resolution for return to council for completion of the formal budget ordinance process. - The committee restored funding for a range of departmental positions and services described in the committee report, and the council voted on a sequence of amendments and motions that adjusted department staffing and one-time allocations.

Public safety debate: fire restorations, paramedic training and equipment Yaroslavsky described targeted restorations for the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), including an increase she characterized as "a $50,000,000 year-over-year increase for the fire department" and line items for apparatus and equipment (including funding cited for new fire trucks, helicopters and payroll upgrades). Still, several council members said the committee's changes did not go far enough.

"These are operational cuts in front of us, and they just simply cannot support a budget proposal that doesn't get this department what it needs," Councilmember Park said, criticizing cuts to paramedic training, advanced turnout cleaning and mechanics the department had requested.

Councilmembers and LAFD representatives also debated how much of the department's year-to-year increase reflected previously reserved salary dollars versus new operational funding. Committee members said the revised proposal nonetheless represented a significant increase for LAFD in a tight year.

LAPD recruiting and staffing A separate and heated debate centered on sworn hiring for the Los Angeles Police Department. The Budget and Finance Committee recommendation reduces planned sworn academy class sizes in the coming fiscal year (the committee's report and testimony referred repeatedly to a cut from earlier proposed new sworn hires to a 240-class size). LAPD officials warned that lower class sizes, combined with high attrition, could further erode sworn staffing.

Councilmember Rodriguez said she could not support the reduced recruitment plan: "Reducing our sworn hiring at LAPD well below existing hiring levels . . . is doing the exact opposite of what we promised our residents." Assistant Chief Dan Randolph and LAPD recruitment staff told council that attrition rates and recent hiring cohorts made higher class sizes essential to sustaining sworn levels.

Homelessness oversight and the move to Housing The council also debated a contentious change: transferring a new homelessness oversight function and staff from the City Administrative Officer/CAO coordination office to the Los Angeles Housing Department (LAHD). Councilmembers who asked for additional policy hearings said the change was made in the budget process without full discussion.

Tina Johnson Hall, general manager of the Los Angeles Housing Department, told members her staff will continue existing operations and that the transition would not interrupt CarePlus and RV-removal operations the CAO currently coordinates. "We believe that we will be able to do this without there being any disruption," Hall said.

Opponents argued the shift deserved fuller committee review, released reports and clarifications on how existing CAO coordination (including multiagency deployments that handle RVs, CarePlus and interim housing placements) would be preserved. Councilmember Lee moved unsuccessfully to refer the transfer to committee for policy review; the motion failed and the council proceeded.

Votes at a glance (selected recorded outcomes) - Item 52 (committee package item) — Adopted 12 ayes, 3 noes (recorded vote during the meeting). The chair had asked for approval; several members called for a no vote and discussion before the roll call recorded the tally. - Item 53 (committee recommendation as considered) — Adopted, final recorded tally 12 ayes, 3 noes after a correction to an earlier count. - Item 55 (committee recommendation) — Adopted 13 ayes, 2 noes. - Item 86 (LAPD sworn hiring reductions as amended) — Adopted 14 ayes, 1 no. - Item 90 (clarifying language for interim housing line items and tiny-home inclusion) — Adopted 15 ayes. - Item 96 (separate vote on department technical changes) — Adopted 14 ayes, 1 no. - Recommendation 183 (Attachment F/Exhibit H package as amended) — Adopted 14 ayes, 1 no. - Final adoption: Council adopted the Budget & Finance Committee report as amended following voting on motions and technical edits; staff were instructed to prepare the formal budget resolution for the final ordinance steps and any required ministerial follow-ups.

What council members pushed next: committee referrals and report-backs Council members used the budget debate to refer multiple items for further committee review, including additional scrutiny of homelessness implementation, procurement and contract administration, and certain Parks and public works projects. The council also instructed CAO, CLA and department managers to report back on program details such as overtime and staffing plans, grant-admin functions and program cost-control options.

Outlook and next steps The council's action does not eliminate the fiscal challenges the city faces. Multiple council members stressed that the budget is an interim step and that more work is needed: pursuing new revenue options, continuing midyear fiscal reviews, and following up on the many report-backs the council requested. Staff were directed to prepare the ordinance language and budget resolution for the next hearing cycle.

Councilmember Yaroslavsky, closing the debate, described the document as a "disciplined, collaborative" step through a difficult year. Councilmembers who opposed parts of the package said they would continue to press for changes in committee and at subsequent council hearings.

Ending The council left the dais with clear next tasks for staff: finalize the budget resolution and return it for the final procedural steps; departments and the CAO were assigned multiple report-backs with deadlines; and committees will continue follow-up hearings on homelessness oversight, public safety deployment and procurement changes.